Strength of Will Alone
by stingrae90
Summary: Merlin had always been able to use his magic. Arthur had always been able to depend on his manservant, even when he didn't know he was doing it. This newest threat will challenge both assumptions as everyone struggles to rebuild Camelot from Morgana's second occupation.


**A/N:** This was written as part of a Christmas exchange over on The Heart of Camelot, and I feel like sharing over here too. :P This takes place immediately after the end of series/season 4, so none of the events of series/season 5 have occurred. Enjoy!

* * *

Arthur sighed as he shooed the last servant and his cleaning supplies out of his chambers. While he had joked with Gwen about having Merlin clean the mess Morgana and her men had made of his room, he hadn't truly expected one servant to be able to fix it himself. When Merlin had shown up with two other servants, all of them bearing cleaning supplies and determined expressions, Arthur hadn't argued. He'd made some half-hearted threats about putting Merlin in the stocks if anything that wasn't broken was by the time he came back and then left.

While his chambers were usually good for thinking that was only when they hadn't been ransacked. And even when he had retreated to the practice grounds, he hadn't been able to find five consecutive minutes for private contemplation. The food reserves had to be reevaluated, the losses of the nobles accounted for, the damage to the fields and the Lower Town calculated…

The list had seemed endless. After an hour of attempting to coordinate everything from the practice field, Arthur had retreated to the throne room, and organized the chaos from the more central location. Now, with night finally arrived, all he wanted was sleep, even if his rooms weren't fully repaired and cleaned yet. The bed, at least, would be ready. Merlin would have made sure of it.

"Are you sure you don't want me to set you up in one of the guest chambers?"

Arthur jerked, having forgotten for a moment that he hadn't dismissed Merlin along with his helpers. He let his head thud into the door and muttered at the wood.

"Merlin, do you really think, after the day I've had, the _week_ we've all had, that I want to be anywhere but in my _own _bed? I could care less that everything isn't spotless."

"…well…if you're sure…"

Arthur shoved back upright, spinning on his heel to face his manservant. He pointed one finger at him, imperious. "You. Out. I want to sleep, and I'm not doing it with you mucking about in here."

Merlin's blue eyes twinkled mischievously. "Are you sure you don't want me to –"

"_Mer_lin!"

The raven-haired servant laughed his way out of Arthur's quarters and Arthur slammed the door after him, rolling his eyes.

Trudging his way to the newly remade bed, Arthur flopped backwards onto it, staring up at the canopy, a half-recalled memory from the night of Morgana's attack finally making it to the forefront of his mind. He'd been ignoring it as the obvious lunacy it was for days, but with the cessation of his other duties for the moment, it came surging back to the forefront.

Gaius in front of him, Merlin a half-acknowledged, half-expected presence at his back and a bright gold light in eyes that should be blue...

_I was delirious. Merlin's not…well, he just isn't. Not anymore than Gaius is, at any rate._

He was asleep before he could worry over the fallacy of his own logic.

* * *

_Deadly silence in the high vaulted chamber. Shock and horror on every face, but most especially on a visage crowned with gold._

_An unseen weight bowed the head of a raven-haired man even as he cringed away from the angry voice of his king._

* * *

Merlin sighed in relief as he finally shut the door to Gaius' chambers behind himself. He'd been on guard and watchful for entirely too long now and it felt good to be somewhere _safe_. Somewhere he could be himself, _really _himself and not the character he played for most of the court and even Arthur at times.

"Merlin?" a weak voice called, and the raven-headed young man was beside his mentor's cot in an instant, stilling the old man's attempts to sit up.

"No, Gaius, just rest. I'm fine. Arthur's fine. Everyone's fine." Merlin grasped Gaius' hand. "You need to relax and let me handle things for now, okay? Get better."

The physician's worn face creased in a smile. "You worry too much over an old man, Merlin."

Merlin scoffed. "I worry just enough," he retorted.

"Well, then, relieve an old man's mind. Were you correct?"

Merlin beamed at Gaius. "No. I guess it really _was_ everything else and not that he'd noticed anything odd about how we treated his wound, or got him out of Camelot. He didn't say anything to me about it all day, was his usual arrogant self…well, almost. He _is _still torn up about what Morgana did to the people."

Gaius nodded. "Arthur has always had a strong compulsion to protect the people of Camelot."

Straightening, Merlin took two steps backwards to fall into a chair, still grinning. "I was so sure, Gaius. I thought I did the spell wrong, or wasn't careful enough to hide my eyes. I thought he'd noticed something, he was acting so oddly the night we retook the castle, but if he's not confronted me about it by now, he can't have noticed anything."

Gaius smiled at him, already drifting back into an exhausted sleep. Merlin stood again and pulled the blanket Gaius had displaced in his movements back around his shoulders.

"We're all safe, again, Gaius. Just rest."

* * *

He was never falling asleep hanging half-off his bed again. Ever. It wasn't worth the back-ache he woke up with.

"Arthur?"

At least he'd woken before Merlin had come in with his breakfast. It would have been intolerable for the younger man to see Arthur drooling like an idiot on his bedspread…

"Arthur?"

There was something about that, actually. Merlin had seen him act like an – _a fool_– before. What made him falling into a perfectly legitimate exhausted sleep only mostly on his bed different?

"Arthur!"

The king jumped, unaware that the object of his thoughts had been trying to attract his attention for some time. "What?! I was thinking, Merlin!"

Merlin's eyes sparkled with mirth and for a heart-stopping moment, the sunlight shining through his open window made them seem gold. Arthur lost whatever Merlin had said in the sudden rush of half-forgotten memories.

_That's right, he's…he made me…but…he's not anymore one of them than Gaius is! He's –_

"ARTHUR!"

This time, the golden haired man nearly fell off his chair. "_MER_LIN! I said I was _thinking_!"

Merlin huffed and shoved a cup of steaming tea in front of him. "Then do it with some tea. Maybe it'll wake you up enough that you realize when people are talking to you." Turning away to survey Arthur's rumpled bedclothes, Merlin cocked his head to the side. "Did you even bother to get under the sheets? It looks like you slept on top of all of them."

Arthur grumbled unintelligibly into his tea cup and took a defiant bite out of an apple, though he watched Merlin closely.

What, exactly, he was looking for, Arthur couldn't say. A sign, perhaps, or a mark that would tell him if Merlin was or wasn't what Arthur was dreading. Or maybe just a sign that he was going crazy from stress and lack of sleep.

Putting the apple and the tea cup down on his table, Arthur rubbed at the headache already building in his temples.

This was ridiculous. He was just jumpy about Morgana's attack and the further proof of her betrayal. He was jumpy about Gwen, even as glad as he was to have her back. The pain hadn't healed yet, might never heal completely, but he was willing to give it a chance. _She _was willing to give it a chance and it had hurt her just as it had him so who was he to deny them both that opportunity?

Wasn't this thing with Merlin the same? Things had changed. Merlin had been showing how much he had grown and learnt since he came to Camelot, but it was only in times of crisis that Arthur had ever really noticed it. Seeing Merlin so perceptive and brave and acknowledging that Merlin just was that way was new to him.

And newness – change – all of it had been for the worse lately in his life. Determination firmed his thought processes. Time to change that.

"Merlin, make sure the rest of my chambers are cleaned out by the end of the day. I'll be eating as I work today, so don't bother bringing me any supper tonight." He paused and gave a concerned look at his manservant. In all his business and worry he'd forgotten to ask. "How is Gaius?"

Merlin paused in his reordering of Arthur's bed, and smiled quietly. "He's resting. He'll get better, but it'll take some time." A shadow crossed Merlin's features, dimming his smile. "He's not…as young as he was. He can't go without food and water for very long-"

And no, that was not what Arthur had meant to do. "But he's getting better," he reminded Merlin firmly.

"Yeah," Merlin nodded his head. "Yeah," he repeated, more confidently. "I've been having Gwen help me organize things for his usual patients, and we've about got a rotation set up…"

Listening to Merlin prattle about his new increased duties as the temporary Court Physician, Arthur ate his breakfast contentedly.

Really, his worries were unfounded. It was so obvious that Merlin wasn't a threat to anyone in Camelot, the thought never should have crossed his mind.

Merlin, a sorcerer?

_Ha._

* * *

_Deadly silence in the high vaulted chamber. Shock and horror on every face, but most especially on a visage crowned with gold._

"Arrest him!"

"Sire!"

"Magic is outlawed!"

An unseen weight bowed the head of a raven-haired man even as he cringed away from the angry voice of his king.

Hands reached and grabbed, voices shouted. A sword flashed towards a heartbroken face -

* * *

Two days ride from Camelot, in a small, modest campsite, a middle-aged man woke with a strangled scream on his lips. In his haste to get away from the flashing sword, he fell out of his cot, landing painfully on his side.

"Ooph!"

A crash from outside echoed his fall, and a moment later a tousled head of brownish-red hair poked into his tent.

"Arwyroe? You okay?" The other man took one look at his sprawled form and cursed, entering the tent all the way and kneeling by his friend's side. "Talk to me. Arwyroe?"

"I'm…I'm fine, Drefan," he muttered, managing to banish the image of the sword swinging for his – no, for the raven man's head. "Just…another of the dreams is all."

Drefan yanked the blanket from around his legs violently, expression stormy. "Just another of the dreams. Just. I can't believe you, Arwyroe!" He flung the blanket at the cot and stormed to the entrance and back. Arywroe slowly sat up. "You've been having these dreams for years and they've only gotten clearer the longer you've had them! We know who and what they're about and you do _nothing_!"

"What am I supposed to do, Drefan? They'll happen whether we interfere or not! It's destiny!"

Drefan scowled at him. "No. It's a way to _change_destiny." The anger suddenly melted off of him and he sat on the ground next to Arwyroe. "Look, don't you see? The Druid's prophecies are coming to pass all around us. You've had visions of the Once and Future King and Emrys since before we even knew who they were. You know they'll fight, they'll drift apart. This is destiny warning you, so you can do something about it."

Arwyroe sighed and leaned his head backwards to rest on his cot. "And what if the bits I've seen are only the beginning? What if they resolve it on their own? I could make it worse, not better." He waved a hand in the direction of Camelot. "And I hardly think they're fighting right now. Not after just winning Camelot back from Morgana."

"Maybe that's the start then," Drefan said, just as quiet. "How much to you want to wager that Emrys _didn't_ have to use his magic to defeat her? I know the people in Camelot are a bit dense about what magic actually is, but they can't all be _that_stupid and ignorant."

"We don't even know for sure that the men I see are the men of legend, even if they are King Arthur and his manservant," Arwyroe offered weakly, knowing how Drefan would scoff at his weak attempt at misdirection.

He did. "And who else can they be? No other magic user would be so stupid as to stay close to a Pendragon." Drefan laid a hand on his arm, turning Arwyroe's gaze back to his own. "You have to do it, Arwyroe. It's the only way."

Clenching his eyes shut for a moment, Arwyroe reviewed his dream. The sword flashed again, the shocked and betrayed look struck him to the core and the cringing form of the manservant…

"I know," he said as he opened his eyes. "I know I do. We'll leave for Camelot today."

* * *

Arthur glared at the parchments in front of him, wondering if he could incinerate Morgana's army from the force of his thoughts alone. What possible reason had they had for setting fire to _every single_well in Camelot? It wasn't as if they could make water burn. The most inconvenience they'd caused was the trouble of rebuilding the cranks and pulleys that brought the water to the surface.

Maybe he could divert a few of the repair crew from the castle to replace the wells. It was a simple enough task, and there was plenty of wood available. He'd just have to be grateful they hadn't fouled the wells while they were going about their destruction. But then, he supposed even a rampaging army knew it had to have drinkable water. That was probably the same reason the castle's grain stores hadn't been touched, even as the people's fields had been torched, again –

The smell of fresh bread broke into his concentration and he looked up to see Gwen and Merlin standing to the side of the table. Gwen held the appetizing smelling bread, while Merlin had a pitcher and two cups in his hands. Merlin grinned widely while Gwen ducked her head to hide her own smile.

"I told you, Gwen," his manservant said, placing his burden down without a care to the papers he was squashing in the process. He ignored Arthur's indignant shout. "He's been so wrapped up in all this he hasn't even noticed the lunch hour came and went."

"He _is_very busy, Merlin…"

"That's no excuse." Merlin's expression became a bit more serious, and Arthur swallowed the retort he'd been about to give. "You're not immune to the weaknesses the rest of us mere mortals suffer from, Arthur. You need to eat and drink and _rest_." A swift grab took the papers Arthur had been glaring at and sent them skidding to the other end of the table, out of reach. "Eat what Gwen brought you, and drink some of this, and _then_you can go back to glaring holes in innocent parchment."

Arthur leaned back in his seat, trying not to sneak glances at Gwen's tray – or Gwen herself, really – since it really did smell appetizing. "And since when can you give _me_ orders, _Mer_lin?"

Merlin grinned at him. "Since I'm still the Court Physician on a temporary basis and the health of the residents of the castle – and especially the king – are my responsibility."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Don't go getting a big head, Merlin. I'm sure Gaius will have a lot of orders for you as soon as he gets some of his strength back."

Gwen intervened in their fight by placing her tray in front of Arthur and sending a stern look at the both of them. "Enough." She glared at both of them, though her gaze softened somewhat with affection and uncertainty when she looked at Arthur. "Eat, Arthur. Please? And Merlin, baiting him isn't going to make him eat any faster."

Both of the men started at Gwen's unexpected interruption, feeling nearly identical stabs of nostalgia at the familiar attitude. Merlin recovered first and bowed his way away from the table.

"Of course, my lady. How silly of me. You have _much_better ways to get him to eat than I do."

He was gone out the door before Arthur could find a suitable projectile to throw at his head. Arthur groaned and flopped back in his chair. "He's impossible."

Gwen fidgeted slightly next to him, and Arthur lifted a foot under the table to kick at one of the chairs next to him, causing it to slide backwards. "Sit, please, Gwen?"

She froze, and then smiled and sat in the chair he had offered.

"Merlin means well."

"I know," Arthur said, sighing and sitting up to reach for some of the bread and pleasantly surprised to see some cheese sitting next to it. "He just has a talent for getting on my nerves."

"So are the two of you okay, again?"

It was Arthur's turn to fidget. "You…noticed that?"

Gwen's lovely brown eyes were amused. "You were giving Merlin odd looks for most of the day or two after we retook Camelot, and Merlin was being so carefully _proper_it was…odd." She spread her hands in demonstration. "It was almost as if you'd had a fight, but your fights are never that quiet." She looked away, a slight flush staining her cheeks a darker brown. "At least, they never were."

Arthur reached out and took hold of one of her hands, resolutely pushing away the stab of pain at her oblique reminder of their separation. "They still are. Merlin's just getting better at not broadcasting them in public." Gwen's eyes met his, a tentative smile on her face. Arthur returned it. "No, I was just…worrying over something that had no grounds, and Merlin could tell it had to do with him. That's all."

"Will you tell me…what it was?"

Arthur shrugged, feeling unaccountably embarrassed. "I didn't want to leave Camelot, you know. When Morgana attacked. I wanted to confront her that night, but I'd already been wounded and I couldn't have done anything useful with just myself, Gwaine, Perceval, Elyan and Merlin and Gaius with me." He smiled a bit. "Merlin convinced me that I had to have my wound seen too, and the next thing I clearly remember is being in Tristan's camp, wearing some peasant's clothing that didn't fit at all and there Merlin was, sleeping away without a care in the world."

Gwen tried to stifle a giggle, but some of it came out anyway. Arthur rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know. It's a ridiculous image, isn't it? I couldn't remember how I'd gotten there and…well, I know Gaius used to practice magic. I thought maybe…" He shook his head. "But it was ridiculous." Gwen squeezed his hand in sympathy. He sighed. "I was letting my hurt over Morgana's betrayal, and Agravaine's, cloud my judgment. I know Gaius and Merlin would never betray me like they did. I just…I guess I had to work through it on my own."

Gwen cocked her head. "And would it have been so bad, even if Gaius or Merlin _had_used magic to get you out of Camelot?" She brought her free hand to rest over Arthur's. "The only reason we retook Camelot was because you were free to organize the attack and give the people hope. If you'd followed your first instinct, Morgana would have killed you."

Arthur tilted his head, and thought for a long moment, before he found that despite all the negative dealings he'd had with magic and its practitioners, he couldn't find a reason that it was bad that Merlin might have it. He already knew Gaius had practiced before the Purge and he suspected the old man had used it a time or two to help defeat an enemy in recent years.

Arthur looked up and smiled crookedly at his betrothed. "No," he said. "I guess it wouldn't be so bad."

* * *

Merlin was on his way back from delivering Lord Aldred's tonic when the he felt it. An odd anticipation in the air, exactly the same as the one he always felt whenever a great magic was about to be performed. He looked around uneasily, unsure of where or even who could be casting such a spell. After all, if the magic were powerful enough, he could feel it even from miles away. Morgana and Morgause had proved that with their stunt to open the door to the Otherworld.

Checking the hallway for other people, Merlin broke into a run when he saw no one. Taking the last staircase between him and Gaius' chambers two and three steps at a time, he barely paused as he reached the landing outside the physician's chambers to go through the door at a more reasonable pace, so as not to break it with his momentum.

Gaius, who had healed remarkably swiftly under Merlin's care – and a bit of subtle magic – looked up from his seat by the fireplace, startled. "Merlin? Whatever has you rushing about so?"

"Something's – I don't know…Something's wrong, Gaius!" Merlin gasped, leaning on the door. "I can feel some sort of working being done. It's almost like it was when Morgana unleashed the Dorocha, but…not."

Gaius, who had paled dramatically at the mention of the Dorocha, gained a little color back in his face even as his brows furrowed in confusion. "How is it different, Merlin?"

Merlin closed his eyes, questing with his magic to try to get a better grip on what he was sensing. "It's…not exactly dark, but it's…it's not light, either. It's…I don't know!" Merlin's eyes opened again, anguished. "It just feels big, Gaius, and it's building, feeding off of something here in Camelot."

"Are you certain?"

Merlin nodded. He'd never been more certain of anything. "It…almost feels as if it's trying to feed off of me," he admitted quietly, feeling ill at the thought. Gaius looked as if he were experiencing the same feeling, so Merlin rushed to reassure his mentor. "It's not! I'm in complete control of my magic, nothing's leeching off me, but…it feels like something is _trying_to use my strength." He frowned. "Can that happen?"

Gaius nodded, rubbing at his temples as if he had a headache. Merlin finally pushed off the wall and sat at the table near to the older man. "Much like the spell Morgause cast on Morgana, some enchantments need a living anchor to endure. Not all of them are used for evil. There are some healing spells, for instance, where the healer draws strength from a healthy ally, in order to heal even near fatal wounds – though it takes considerable skill to perform such feats." Gaius turned his head to look at Merlin. "Can you tell what the magic is feeding off of?"

Merlin took several deep breathes, centering himself and closing his eyes again. He sent his magic out – seeking, probing, questing. It didn't seem to be coming from one direction, but rather two, on opposite sides of Camelot.

So, there was more than one person…doing whatever this was.

With his nerves more settled than they had been during the initial adrenaline rush of sensing the intruding magic, Merlin could understand more of what he was feeling.

The magic that was being weaved wasn't directed at Camelot as a whole, but at something smaller. Two places – or people, Merlin supposed – within Camelot. He'd been wrong before. The magic wasn't trying to feed off of him and being rejected, it was…it was…

What was it trying to do? He could feel the magic trying to connect with his own, which was probably why he'd thought it was trying to feed off his magic, but wasn't trying to draw energy from him. It was just…trying to connect with him. To him. Or…no. It was trying to link him to something. This felt almost like when Kilgarrah had granted him the spell he'd needed to heal Morgana. Another magic, another mind, pressing along the edges of his own, leaving behind…Something. Or trying to, in this case. Merlin wasn't sure if they were succeeding.

And if one of those sorcerers was trying to cast a spell on Merlin, then it was a good bet that the other sorcerer was concentrating his attentions on –

"Arthur!" Merlin gasped, eyes shooting open. There had never been a pleasant reason for another sorcerer to use magic on Arthur. He barely registered Gaius stumbling backwards in alarm at his sudden exclamation; he barely noticed that Gaius had stood. "They're…Arthur's in danger! Whatever it is, it has to do with Arthur!"

Merlin was off and out the door before Gaius could caution him against rash actions.

* * *

Arthur absently brushed at a tickling sensation on the back of his neck as he listened to Lord Aldred's summation of the likely responses of the other kingdoms to Camelot's brief but tumultuous changes in power two weeks ago. It had taken most of the first week to sort all of the domestic problems out – or at least to get them prioritized and delegated to other people to fix – and now Arthur could concentrate on making sure Camelot's alliances didn't suffer unduly from Morgana's brief reign.

Thank goodness she hadn't been in power long enough to really give thought to relations with other kingdoms. Arthur shuddered to think of the mess she would have made of his carefully built diplomatic relations. Especially the treaty with Lady Annis.

"- not likely that anyone will try to take advantage of the situation, not with the swift manner of your retaking of the castle, Sire, but at the very least they will be cautious about extending help to us so soon after we've been…inconvenienced."

Arthur grinned mirthlessly, one hand rising to bat at the phantom tickle again. "So soon after we've been shown weak, Lord Aldred. You can say it. It's what they're thinking after all." He leaned forward, bracing his arms on the table. "But we will not fall for the same tricks again. Morgana won't get another chance to harm Camelot while I have anything to say about it. We've strengthened our defenses and-"

There was a commotion at the door and Arthur broke off, frowning. He could hear arguing voices beyond the sturdy wood. He nodded to Leon and Elyan, standing a silent guard near the door, and the older knight bowed his head in acknowledgment before he opened the door, expression stern. The voices suddenly became clear.

"-care if you're the King of Escetia, you can't just barge into a Council meeting without permission!"

"I'm _telling_you, the King is in danger! We don't have time for this!"

"Your fantasies-"

"I am _not making this up!_"

Arthur tried not to wince. They didn't need more trouble, but Merlin wouldn't be making a scene if it wasn't important. Contrary to his usual joking irreverence, he _did_know his place, and fulfilled it remarkably well, especially around the lords. Arthur nodded at Leon, who promptly ended the argument between guard and manservant by bellowing "Enough!" and dragging Merlin into the throne room by his elbow. "This disgraceful display stops now. Your diligence is appreciated," he said to the guard. "Return to your duties." Then he shut the door in his face.

Merlin was red in the face – though whether it was from embarrassment or exertion, Arthur wasn't sure. Leon frog-marched the younger man around to stand before Arthur, ignoring the disapproving looks of the lords with the ease of long practice.

"Merlin," Arthur said, sternly. "I trust you have a good reason for this interruption."

Merlin opened his mouth to speak, hardly seeming to notice when Leon let go of his arm and stepped away to let him stand on his own, and then closed it, his flush intensifying. Arthur's lips thinned with annoyance.

"Well? You said something about a danger to me, didn't you? Out with it."

"It's-" Merlin started, stalled, and then swallowed hard and stood straight. "I – we – that is Gaius and I – we don't know exactly what it is, but it's happening now. There are two sorcerers attempting to cast an enchantment of some sort upon you, Sire."

There was silence, and then the lords burst into incredulous denials and demands for more detailed information. Arthur waved them silent irritably, and his hand detoured to brush at the annoying tickling sensation yet again.

"Sire, your hand," Lord Aldred said urgently, and Arthur froze, hand still on the back of his neck. He felt his expression harden.

"Merlin, what does the enchantment do?"

"I don't know!" Merlin exclaimed, hands waving frantically. "I just know that they're trying to link you to…something…and I don't know how they got in or what they want-"

Arthur was staring at Merlin with raised eyebrows, and he felt most of the lords echoing his expression. Merlin seemed to shrink in on himself as he realized his babbling had given away much more than he had intended.

"And how do you know so much about these two sorcerers, boy?" Lord Aldred said before Arthur could frame the question he wanted to ask in his own mind with less accusation in his tone. Merlin gulped, very obviously caught without a ready answer to hand.

Despite his earlier conclusion that magic didn't make Gaius or Merlin traitors, Arthur felt his heart skip a few beats at the implications of Merlin's knowledge and his flustered silence. When the answer finally came, it wasn't Merlin who spoke it, but a middle aged man with brown-red hair who appeared in the room in a swirl of air and obvious sorcery.

"Oh, come now, _Merlin_, you can tell your precious king how you knew about me and my partner. It's because you _sensed_us, isn't it? Because you have magic, too."

The silence was deafening, and damning.

* * *

Whenever Merlin had thought about his secret being revealed, he'd always thought that it would happen one of two ways. Either he would speak the fateful words himself, or he would perform some life-saving feat of magic, rescuing Arthur – and possibly Camelot – in the process. Never had he imagined that he would be ousted by a sorcerer who casually teleported into the throne room and admitted to attempting magic on the king.

"I-" he began belatedly, and then shut his mouth. If his hasty revelation of just how much he knew about this attack hadn't been suspicious enough, his silence when the newcomer had accused him of having magic as well had sealed away any doubt. "What do you want?" he asked instead, placing himself deliberately between Arthur and the older sorcerer.

Whispers started among the gathered Council members, and Arthur made no move to silence them. A quick look back over his shoulder revealed hurt and betrayal on his face. Merlin winced and shoved his nerves down to be dealt with later.

"Your destiny," the older man replied, a smirk playing around his mouth. Merlin stared at him and the other sorcerer laughed outright. "Oh, don't tell me you've come to believe every sorcerer who comes to Camelot has some painful revenge to visit upon the Pendragon behind you. He isn't nearly that important."

Merlin was about to answer, but seeing Leon and Elyan trying to sneak up on the unknown man distracted him for a moment. Whoever this man was, he was no weakling. It wouldn't be easy to defeat him, and sneaking up on him was probably not the best plan.

There was no warning and no chance for Merlin to do more than gape with everyone else. Just as Leon and Elyan were about to close on the sorcerer, his eyes flared gold and both men went flying backwards, heads first, toward the wall. Merlin cried out in protest even as he felt Arthur surge forward behind him, instinctively rushing to protect his men.

Merlin threw caution to the winds and flung both hands wide. One extended towards the still airborne knights, slowing their progress and gently lowering them to the floor, whilst the other physically blocked Arthur's forward path. He never broke eye contact with the man who had tried to attack Arthur.

The whispers became full blown shouts; a confusing mix of demands and questions and disbelief that resolved into sporadic bursts of coordinated accord.

A few of the older Council members hovered by their chairs, furiously glaring at Merlin and the unknown sorcerer both. One man with more white than gray in his beard pointed a trembling hand at a point midway between the two staring sorcerers, fury in every inch of his bearing.

"Arrest him!"

No one paid any particular attention to the old lord, but the unknown sorcerer did throw a look that mixed recognition and exasperation his way. Arthur backed up to get out of the range of Merlin's arm, and made another attempt to go around him. Merlin gritted his teeth and wordlessly set up a barrier that shimmered golden when Arthur ran into it with a startled cry. Lord Aldren took a startled step forward.

"Sire?" he called. Arthur waved him back, glowering pretty equally at Merlin's back and the unknown sorcerer.

The sorcerer smirked when he saw it.

"Merlin, let me through. _Now._"

Merlin set his jaw, still staring down the other sorcerer. "I'm sorry, Sire," he said softly, "but I cannot."  
_  
_

* * *

Arthur hadn't been able to help the betrayal he felt when Merlin didn't deny the sorcerer's absurd statements – which apparently weren't so absurd, and which supported his own theories too well for Arthur's comfort. He'd wanted some more time to come to terms with Merlin abilities and his silence – and the lack of trust it implied. That wasn't going to happen now. There wasn't anything he could do about the panic the lords were starting amongst themselves, either. They were too frightened and outraged and Arthur was too caught up in his own thoughts.

He _should have known._ He shouldn't have buried the thought and ignored it, or only entertained it for brief seconds of _it'll all be okay, because this is Merlin. This is Gaius._Because now it paralyzed him. He hadn't come up with a good way to deal with this very likely possibility, and now everyone was going to pay for his oversight. At least he had the presence of mind to not react when Elyan and Leon – who were thinking straight, thankfully – crept around behind the sorcerer, intending to subdue him by way of surprise.

It was about the only thing that worked when battling a sorcerer, and unfortunately it seemed their opponent was well aware of it, because with a flash of gold and an incantation, his knights – his _brothers_– went flying backwards, heads first, at the wall.

At exactly the right angle for broken necks.

Fury rose in Arthur's throat and he surged forward, his paralyzing hurt and self-admonishment washed away in the surge of adrenaline. He couldn't _stand here_ and let his people be attacked like this! He had to do something.  
_  
_Merlin, momentarily relegated to a less important status by the impending threat to his men, flung both hands out wide. Arthur couldn't see his face, but his eyes must have glowed golden, for Leon and Elyan's flight slowed dramatically and they were gently dropped to the floor. The urge to get to them didn't diminish though, and Arthur disregarded Merlin's other arm since it didn't seem to presage any other sort of magical act.

When he ran into the arm – which had tensed just before impact – Arthur stumbled for a few steps and Merlin took advantage of his imbalance to shove him backwards. Awkward as the angle was, Merlin still succeeded.

He hadn't used magic to keep Arthur back? The king set his jaw and backed up further, getting out of Merlin's physical range. He supposed having magic didn't make Merlin any less inclined to protect him, but without being willing to use it on Arthur to enforce the _stay back_his arm had indicated, there really wasn't anything –

The shimmering gold that radiated from the solid air he'd just run into seemed to mock him. So much for Merlin not using magic on him. Or at least using it on his surroundings.

"Sire?"

Arthur glanced briefly to his left to see Lord Aldred take a concerned step forward. He shook his head and waved the elder man back. There had been no harm done, aside from mounting frustration. He fixed a stare at the back of his manservant's head.

"Merlin, let me through. _Now._"

The shoulders tensed, but the raven-haired man never looked away from the sorcerer he was staring down.

"I'm sorry, Sire," he said softly, firmly, and with no give at all in his voice. "But I cannot."

Whatever response Arthur might have made was derailed by another swirl of wind as a second sorcerer appeared in the throne room. He spun, drawing his sword to have some sort of defense against the newcomer, however little it would actually be of use.

The newcomer was perhaps a decade older than his partner, with brown hair lightly dusted with gray. His green eyes were an odd mix of sad and disapproving. He took in the proceedings in front of him and raised one hand. A slight shimmer in the air showed he had cast the same sort of shield that Merlin had.

"Who are you? What do you want here?" Arthur demanded, wanting some sort of sense out of this. The response Merlin had gotten hadn't made any at all. Destiny? Why was Merlin more important than a _king?_

"I want you to see the truth, Arthur Pendragon," the man replied evenly. He looked across to his partner, who nodded encouragingly. "I had hoped none of this was necessary, but I see now it cannot be avoided." He spread his hands. "Drefan?"

"Ready."

Wait, wait. What were they doing? Were they seriously going to cast a spell _right in front of him_ that required some sort of coordination beyond _point, yell, cast?_

"You can't-" he began, and Lord Aldred spoke at nearly the same time.

"Magic is outlawed!"

Neither man noticed. Arthur's attempt at getting through the new man's shield was as fruitless as his attempt against Merlin's. Merlin turned oddly in place, as if uncertain of who to focus on and whatever he would have decided wasn't done quickly enough, because the two sorcerers started to chant at the same time and it was too late.

Pain erupted behind his eyes.

Merlin tensed as the chanting began, but nothing he tried passed the shields that had been erected. Something pulled at his magic every time he began a spell, causing it to fizzle or be far weaker than his usual versions.

And then, the pain hit him.

Leon blinked back to full awareness to see Elyan leaning over him, tense and still wary, sword clenched in the blacksmith's grip he fell back on under intense stress and Leon had yet to break him of, no matter how many times he reminded the younger man that a sword was not a blacksmith's hammer.

"Not resolved, then," he surmised, holding back a groan. He _hated_fighting sorcerers. Elyan grimaced.

"There's two of them now. Not counting…not counting Merlin."

Ah, yes. And wasn't that crazy and wrong on so many levels? Arthur's loyal manservant and friend; the man who was as deserving of the title of knight for his bravery and loyalty as any of Arthur's best men…Merlin, a sorcerer.

_"Spenap clauinung ond galdorword ond spina ond tyhtnes eac hafocfugel ond stancarr!"_

The chant had both knights on their feet despite lingering weariness and nausea. Merlin's eyes were flaring and dimming in time with his snapped incantations, though nothing he did seemed to have any effect on the other sorcerers. Leon tried not to let it distract him as Merlin scowled and his tone became harsher, sharper and underlain with a hint of panic.

_"La!"_

Merlin and Arthur crumpled at the same moment, pain written plainly across both their faces. The two sorcerers exchanged triumphant and conflicted looks in the stunned silence left from their chanting and its results. The elder stepped forward.

"This brings me no joy. It simply must be done. I hope you will understand that once this is over."

Merlin raised his head, pain still clear on his face, but not diminishing the blazing anger on his face at all. Leon took an unconscious step back at the intensity of Merlin's expression.

"What good does ANY of this do?!" he spat. "All you ever do is further fan the hatred that suffocates Camelot! You undo all the progress made every time you attack!"

Brown eyes were unreadable. "You misinterpret my actions, Merlin Emrys. This was Seen. Destiny brought us to this point and nothing else."

Before anything else could be said, Arthur exploded from his crouched defensive posture, sword leading. Without having to consult each other, Leon and Elyan moved as one to attack the other sorcerer, providing cover for Arthur.

Merlin, his eyes panicked, tried to get to his feet and stumbled, not yet recovered enough to do anything. Drefan spun, hand splayed wide.

Leon felt his own eyes widen as his sword was yanked out of his grip and went sailing towards Arthur's back, point first.

"No! Sire!" he yelled and then Elyan tackled him to the ground as another sword – Elyan's own – went zooming over his head and nearly took Merlin's off as the servant finally got his feet under him.

When he and Elyan disentangled themselves, they froze. One sword – Leon's – hovered menacingly in front of Arthur, who glared and clenched empty fists by his sides. Elyan's sword menaced Merlin while Arthur's was currently floating barely two feet from Leon's face.

* * *

Arthur's heart was pounding furiously with a mixture of anger and fear. Leon's warning had him dropping flat by instinct, which had saved him catching Leon's sword in his back. He'd blocked it on the return swing and his defensive maneuvers had brought him around enough to see a wide-eyed Merlin falling to the floor to avoid Elyan's sword. The shock had been enough distraction for the second sorcerer to wrench Arthur's sword from him as well. When the steel stopped moving, Arthur, Merlin, Leon and Elyan were all facing the wrong end of someone's sword.

"Well," Drefan said from across the room. "I think this should be ended quickly, huh, Arwyroe? Would you like the honors?"

"This isn't a game, Drefan," Arwyroe replied sternly, but he nodded anyway. Arthur watched both of them closely, waiting for an opening he could exploit. He also watched Merlin, the odd rules of battle meaning that his feelings of confusion about Merlin and anger at himself were shelved until the greater threat was dealt with. The second sorcerer's oddly regretful brown eyes turned to Merlin as well. "A demonstration would ease things considerably."

Arthur wasn't particularly surprised when Merlin practically snarled as he answered. These two had managed to threaten most everyone Merlin cared about in the space of ten minutes. The only thing worse would have been if Gaius had been well enough to attend the Council meeting.

"I will not play your game. Release the spell you cast on Arthur!"

"That is not within my power."

This wasn't going to end well. Merlin was too worked up to react rationally or calmly. Arthur took a step forward, ignoring Leon's hovering sword. "Look," he began, keenly aware of the frightened and disapproving looks the Council was sending at him. "I don't know what your grievance is-" He shut his mouth abruptly as Leon's sword swiped at him again, though it didn't come close to connecting. A warning only, then.

"I am not talking to you right now, King Arthur." The sword angled for his throat as Arwyroe returned his attention to Merlin. "As I said, a demonstration…"

Merlin clenched his fists and lowered his head. His eyes hidden in shadow, he slowly raised one hand and whispered a word into it. Arthur experienced a brief moment of awe at the flame that hovered just above his manservant's hand before pain erupted in his skull again, much more intense than the previous attack had been.

Everything went white.

It was an interminable amount of time later that the roaring in his ears receded enough to let him hear the commotion around him clearly. The lords were yelling, Leon and Elyan were alternately attempting calm and throwing threats at Arwyroe and Drefan and Merlin called his name, panic and guilt in his voice.

Guilt?

Arthur looked up, bleary-eyed and still a little dizzy from the pain. Merlin was almost dancing in place, held there only by the sword that matched and threatened his every move towards Arthur. Blue eyes met blue and Arthur swallowed hard and stood on shaky feet, signaling Leon and Elyan to silence. He shook his head at Merlin, and the dancing became simple fidgeting, some of the panic fading from his expression.

Arwyroe hadn't lost his passive calm. Arthur could see Drefan trembling slightly at the other end of the stand-off. Was he nervous or…no, that was exertion he was trying to hide. Arthur hoped Leon or Elyan – better, both of them – had noticed and would take advantage of it. Drefan must be holding two of the swords under his control. Combined with his earlier magical workings, he was obviously feeling the strain.

"As you experienced, King Arthur," Arwyroe's voice drew his attention back to the elder sorcerer. "Any time Merlin casts a verbal spell, you will experience pain." He made a continue gesture at Merlin. "But you also have instinctual magic. If you would?"

The man almost sounded as if this were simply a training exercise! Arthur nearly leapt for the man's throat to attempt to strangle him, but held himself back. It wouldn't work. He'd be cut down by Leon's sword before he got far enough. He looked over at Merlin and saw the man paler than he had been before, the fury replaced by the panic and guilt Arthur had seen upon surfacing from the pain.

Their eyes met again and Arthur tried to convey without words that he knew Merlin hadn't done that on purpose. It was the spell, nothing more.

It didn't seem to be getting across.

* * *

Merlin had never felt more helpless in his life. His destiny was to help Arthur, to bring about Albion's golden age! If his magic caused Arthur pain anytime he used a spell, then how was he supposed to do that? He was useless without his magic.

When the man – Arwyroe – made a gesture at him that Merlin supposed meant _go ahead_and asked him to perform some instinctual magic, Merlin went white.

He wasn't quite sure what the specifics of the spell cast upon him and Arthur were, but he had a sneaking suspicion the stronger the magic, the greater the pain Arthur would feel. Sensing for magic didn't seem to trigger anything – maybe the spell only affected active magic – and it made Merlin sick to feel the tightly interwoven strands of the spell. He had no hope of undoing that without knowing exactly what it did and how, but he didn't want to find the answer to those questions through causing Arthur more pain.

He glanced over at his friend in desperation and found Arthur staring at him calmly, if still a little unfocused. There was reassurance and resolve in his expression and Merlin could not take that as permission, as support, because it wasn't, couldn't be and –

"I have very little patience for this, Merlin. Now, if you would."

Merlin straightened his back and shook his head. "No," he whispered. He turned away from Arthur's steady gaze and mustered up a glare past the dread creating a lump in his stomach. "I will not harm my king for your amusement."

Arwyroe's face twisted into anger for the first time since he had appeared in the throne room and Drefan let out an offended shout.

"How dare you!" Drefan exclaimed before Arwyroe could speak. "NONE of this is his fault, and none of this is FUN for either of us. This is a lesson for you, Emrys, so pay attention and do your work!"

The sword menacing Leon and Elyan suddenly darted back, swooped in and swung hard at the younger knight. Elyan leapt backwards out of the way, a startled exclamation escaping him. The sword turned on Leon then and he ducked and weaved with a grim expression as Arthur's sword chased him in a rough circle around his fellow knight.

"Stop it!" Merlin shouted. Drefan merely pointed behind him, and Merlin involuntarily followed his finger to see Arthur ducking and dodging in the same manner. Arywroe stood by, expression passive once more, arms crossed over his chest calmly.

"Merlin, just do it!" Arthur shouted, managing to grab a chair to act as a makeshift, very awkward shield.

"But-"

Merlin flinched back from Arthur's shout, from the anger and frustration filling it.

"JUST DO IT. THAT'S AN ORDER, MERLIN!"

Merlin let his magic flare and reached to stop the swords from attacking his friends and the pain from before returned, magnified.

The world dissolved into darkness as Merlin had a last, fuzzy thought.

I was right. The stronger the magic…the greater…the…pai…

* * *

The sorcerers had left in the same manner they had arrived, and Arthur fully intended on finding a way – or having Gaius find a way – to block that particular method of entrance and exit to Camelot. In the meantime, though, he had some very riled lords to placate and a fallen manservant to see to.

"It's an outrage, Sire! That he would willfully defy your laws all these years! He's committed treason!"

And it would figure that most of the lords who had served under his father were finding more fault with the man who had been as attacked as Arthur had and not the ones who had actually threatened the king. Arthur felt that Gwen would probably know why they were doing that, but she wasn't here for him to ask and he wasn't looking forward to having to tell her what had happened anyway.

"Lord Irvin," Arthur began, gritting his teeth, keenly aware of Merlin's insensate form on the floor, guarded by Leon and Elyan, hands hovering by their reclaimed swords. "I hardly think Merlin is the threat we need to focus on at this moment. I have my doubts that he is a threat at all."

"He has magic, Sire. There should be no question of his true loyalties now." Lord Irvin retorted, throwing a nasty glance Merlin's way. Arthur restrained the urge to punch the man. Did he not have eyes? Even Arthur, with his thoughts clouded by the pain the spells had caused him and his confusion over how to deal with his manservant, didn't doubt that Merlin was truly loyal to Camelot, and to him, specifically. Merlin had been the only reason Arthur had survived to retake Camelot from Morgana, after all. He had been the one to restore Arthur's faith in himself.

He had been the one to lift Arthur's spirits in the past week as he waded through the mess Morgana had made of his beloved Camelot and tried to fix it all.

Arthur turned slightly away from Lord Irvin and waved Leon and Elyan to the door. "Take Merlin to Gaius' chambers. Have him looked over. I don't like the fact that he hasn't woken yet." He ignored the tripartite cry of outrage behind him. Lord Irvin and his supporters – Arthur was fairly sure it was Irvin's cousin and his brother-in-law who had joined the man in his protest – would just have to swallow their wounded pride.

Arthur was king.

But he also had to keep these people on his side, in order to maintain order in his kingdom. He sighed internally and added, "Post a guard on him until I say otherwise. If he…if he threatens anyone or attempts magic, he is to be taken to the dungeons, regardless of his condition."

Leon's face was impassive, and Elyan had ducked his head, so Arthur had no idea how they were handling this. He would just have to hope they weren't too shocked to remember that Merlin had never betrayed Camelot. Had only performed magic today in order to protect Arthur, and at Arthur's express command, at the last.

Both of his knights bowed and Elyan bent to gather Merlin's limp form into a rescuer's carry. The raven-haired head rolled limply from side to side on Elyan's back and Arthur forced himself to turn away.

As he had expected Lord Irvin and his cousin and brother-in-law formed an outraged semi-circle in front of the Council table. He squared his shoulders and stepped around to his seat at the head of the table. "Take you seats, my lords," he said with frosty politeness. "We have much to discuss."

* * *

When Merlin came back to himself, he was in his bed in Gaius' chambers, a cold compress folded over his forehead and the blanket loosely draped over him. Gaius' voice was audible through the cracked door to his room and he could hear the rustle of turning pages.

For a moment, Merlin believed himself to be recovering from a cold, with Gaius calmly researching new herbs and methods of healing in his workroom as he passed the time until Merlin needed another draught of whatever tonic Gaius had made for him.

But as soon as Merlin heard Elyan's voice join Gaius', the entirety of the confrontation in the throne room came back to him.

It had…he had…

Arthur knew.

He knew, and the Council knew, and there was no way the whole of Camelot didn't know by now and – and –

Why wasn't he in the dungeons, awaiting execution? Shouldn't that be…he shouldn't be in his own bed! This wasn't…it wasn't how things went when a sorcerer was discovered, it was all wrong and the relief he felt was wrong too, because he shouldn't get special treatment just because he was friends with Arthur and –

He hadn't been aware he'd been whimpering, trying to curl in on himself, until a firm hand pressed on his shoulder, rolling him flat onto the bed again. Elyan's neutral expression was the first thing Merlin saw and he froze as if he were a deer caught in Arthur's bow sights.

"Merlin, calm down. You're worrying Gaius, and he can't get up those stairs very fast right now."

Merlin's voice had abandoned him. He had no idea what to say or how to react and he found he couldn't meet Elyan's eyes. He looked away and tried to curl onto his other side, but Elyan tugged him flat again.

"Merlin," he said, some exasperation entering his voice. "If you're feeling shy now, of all times, it's really misplaced. You were unconscious for nearly two hours. You shouldn't be moving about until Gaius tells you it's okay."

Why was Elyan being so nice to him? Why was he acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened? EVERYTHING was different now. Absolutely everything and…

Arthur's face, contorting in pain as he collapsed to his knees and then to his side on the floor -

His magic. Everyone knew about his magic now, but he couldn't use it. It was blocked from him as effectively as if he had never had it at all.

"Merlin! My boy, just breathe, breathe, now. It's fine. You're safe. Just calm down…"

Gaius' voice slowly brought Merlin back to the present and he noticed that Elyan was no longer in his room. Anguish filled eyes looked up at Gaius and he found a thin thread of a voice to give life to the question pounding around in his head, almost overpowering the nauseating knowledge that his secret was out now.

"Gaius, what am I without my magic?"

Then his fragile control broke and he gasped soundless sobs into his mentor's chest.

* * *

Arthur felt as if he was carrying the entire castle on his shoulders as he made his way to Gaius' rooms. A guard he didn't know off-hand was standing guard at the door, but he didn't look surprised to see Arthur at all. He came to even sharper attention as Arthur crested the stairs to the landing outside of Gaius' chambers and reported quietly.

"Sire, Sir Elyan says that he woke briefly and seemed confused and panicked. Gaius gave him a sleeping draught and all has been quiet since."

Arthur felt his eyebrows rise. "Panicked?" He wondered how loud Merlin had been, if the guard outside the physician's chambers had heard the disturbance inside. The guard's face gave nothing away.

"I'm sure I don't know, Sire."

Arthur nodded his head. "Of course." As he turned to enter Gaius' chambers and finally get some answers, the hurried swishing of skirts distracted him. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Guinevere running up the steps as fast as her dress would allow her, face a study in concern and doubt.

"Arthur!" she called, all the hesitancy she had been displaying around him lately forgotten in the wake of worry for a friend. Arthur felt a fierce rush of gratitude for the woman who came huffing up the steps to be level with him. He hadn't wanted to tell Gwen what had happened during the Council meeting, but he'd forgotten how calming her presence was to him. "Is…I heard the most terrible rumors…is…Merlin okay?" she gasped out.

Arthur slid an arm around her shoulders to steady her and led her into Gaius' chambers. "I'm not sure what the rumors are, but they're probably right if they said something about two sorcerers attacking me and Merlin, that Merlin has magic and that those sorcerers cast some sort of pain causing enchantment on the two of us."

Gwen gasped again, confirming for Arthur that the rumors had at least the basic facts correct. Elyan paused in his pacing when they came in and he exchanged a look with Arthur before opening his arms to his sister, who rushed to him and buried her face in his shoulder for a moment, then pulled back.

"Are you okay, Elyan? What happened?" she asked. Arthur left the siblings to their discussion. He had a physician to see.

He found Gaius in Merlin's room, sitting on the edge of Merlin's bed while the man himself muttered in his sleep fitfully. The plain worry and fear on the old man's face twisted Arthur's heart.

"Gaius?" he asked softly. "Is he alright?" Answers could wait until Gaius looked a bit less fragile.

The old physician looked up and nodded wearily. "Physically he will be fine, Sire. It's not that which has me worried."

Arthur shoved Merlin's desk chair over to Gaius and leaned against the desk. "What are you worried about, then?"

Gaius didn't answer or look at him for a long moment, and then he lifted his gaze to meet Arthur expectant one with firm determination. "I fear for his life, Sire, with his magic revealed. And I fear for his mental health, with his magic cut off so cruelly from him."

"Cut off?" It hadn't seemed to him that Merlin couldn't reach his magic during that whole debacle in the throne room; the opposite actually. He just hadn't seemed very good at what he did, which made the actions of Arwyroe and Drefan all the more puzzling. "I don't understand, Gaius."

Gaius sighed and stood. "I imagine there is more than one person who would like answers, Sire. I believe I heard Gwen enter with you? And we should avoid disturbing Merlin for now. I daren't give him a very strong sleeping draft, not with the knock to the head he took when he hit the floor."

Arthur nodded silently and followed Gaius down the stairs.

"From what Leon and Elyan told me when they brought Merlin back," Gaius began, as Gwen and Elyan sat on one of his benches and Arthur paced the room, "the spell that was enacted upon you two, Sire, linked the execution of Merlin's magic to pain for one of you." He held up one finger. "A verbal spell causes you great pain, Sire, while anything nonverbal does the same to Merlin."

"Arthur didn't pass out, though," Elyan pointed out quietly. Gaius nodded.

"And that leads me to my next suspicion: that the stronger the magic, the greater the effect."

Arthur looked up, confused. "What do you mean stronger? Is there that much of a difference between the two?"

Rubbing his forehead, Gaius nodded. "In a normal sorcerer, it wouldn't be likely to have this much effect, as the nonverbal spells would be weaker. In Merlin's case, his instinctive magic is stronger than anything he casts with spells, but ultimately unfocused. It's like using an ax to make a fine wood carving. The spells help Merlin focus his power and direct just enough of it towards the task at hand."

Arthur sighed and stopped to stare out of Gaius' window. He felt three sets of eyes on him, but he didn't turn. "And what purpose did this serve? To bind any…any magic on Merlin's part to such a dire consequence? Even putting aside the revelation itself, it seemed as if those two knew that Merlin was a sorcerer and…" He frowned, searching his memory of the confrontation. "They were trying to force my hand…our hand. Merlin's and mine. But for what?"

He turned back around and saw Gaius turn away from him. Anger sparked. "No," he said, taking a long step away from the window. "Gaius, you do not get to hide this from me. Not now, not ever again." He pointed at the door to Merlin's room. "I know about his magic. I saw him use it. I saw him refuse to use it when he thought it was going to hurt me again. I saw two other sorcerers target Merlin, of all people, instead of me." He took another step towards Gaius. "I want to know why."

Gaius sighed heavily. "I'm not trying to hide it, Sire. It simply is not my story to tell." He looked up, expression tired and pained. Arthur felt a pang for pushing so hard when Gaius was still getting over his imprisonment and pushed it aside. This was important. It had to be addressed immediately. "The Druids have a prophecy," Gaius said steadily, "about a warlock who will help usher in a time of peace for magic and its practitioners. From what I have been told, it sounds as if your attackers believe the prophecy, and further, that it is not being realized quickly enough."

Arthur saw Elyan straighten slightly in his seat. "Is that what Emrys means, then? I thought it might be a title, and if they believe Merlin to be this…savior of magic, then…" he spread his hands, encompassing the entire situation. Arthur nodded. As ludicrous as the idea of Merlin being some prophesied savior was, he could see how that belief would lead to the actions of today.

It also fit with Arywroe's comments about destiny and Drefan's rant about a lesson.

"Emrys is the name the Druids use to refer to the warlock of their prophecies," Gaius said slowly. "And yes, it is Merlin they believe to be this magic user."

"Do you believe it, Gaius?" Gwen asked softly, and Arthur blew out the breath he had taken to demand the same thing, only in stronger language. Pushing Gaius usually didn't get anything more than the barest amount of cooperation required by protocol out of him. Gwen was right to take a gentler approach with him.

Gaius was silent for a long minute, not meeting anyone's eyes. When he spoke, it was more to the tabletop than any of them. "I have never seen another magic user with the talents Merlin has. He was born with his abilities, Sire," he said, glancing up at Arthur, who blinked in shock. "And that leads me to believe the Druids are correct. Any other questions you have should be answered by Merlin."

Arthur sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. He was vaguely aware of Elyan and Gwen asking more questions, but he didn't hear them. What was he supposed to do now?

Merlin had a talent for accidentally landing in messes no one else could manage when they were trying. And he'd pulled Arthur along on this one.

Merlin wasn't a threat, but he had committed treason by lying to the king and practicing magic for all the years he'd been here. And on the other hand, how could he have been born with magic in the first place?

How could Arthur condemn him for something that hadn't been his choice?

* * *

Merlin listlessly stirred the herb mixture in front of him, not really paying attention to what he was doing. He'd mixed potions and tinctures for Gaius enough times that he didn't really need to think about what he was doing anymore. At least doing this, he was useful to someone, even if –

His hand clenched on the spoon and Merlin tried very hard not to glance at the corner of Gaius' workroom that held a very impassive and imposing palace guard. Arthur had not rescinded his original order to have Merlin guarded at all times, and he hadn't changed his mind about not putting Merlin in the dungeons, either.

It was giving Merlin a headache even more than the constant itch of his magic just under his skin – practically begging to be used – had done.

A crash sounded in the corridor outside and Merlin winced while the guard twitched. A glance outside the window showed it had only been a few hours since the last time the goblin had been through here.

The door opened and then shut in a flurry of armor and skirts, as Gwaine ushered a panting Gwen into the room, glaring back over his shoulder at the out of sight creature as he locked the door again.

Gwen's right arm was cradled against her chest, slight dots of red speckling her sleeve. Merlin leapt up in concern.

"Gwen!" he exclaimed. "Are you alright? What-" The guard in the corner shifted and Merlin sat abruptly, biting his lip. Gwaine looked around and transferred his scowl to the guard before he turned away to usher Gwen towards the cot set out of the way of the daily activities of the physician.

"That stupid goblin knocked over a decorative plate or something in the corridor and nearly brained our dear Guinevere with it," the knight said, gesturing impatiently for Merlin to come over. "Then after I told it off for trying to injure pretty girls engaged to kings, it proceeded to chase us all the way here."

The guard shifted again, taking a step forward. "He shouldn't be doing-"

"Any magic," Gwaine said with a withering stare at the idiot. "I know. He won't be. Merlin is going to be doing what Gaius trained him to do, and that's to look after the wounded. You know," he waved a sarcastic hand at a Gwen who seemed to be torn between nerves and anger at the treatment of her friend, "your future queen here? Do us all a favor and go back to your corner and shut up."

Merlin quietly gathered the things he needed to treat Gwen's cuts, and brought them over, not looking at anyone.

"You don't have to do that," he said, quietly, to Gwaine. "It's not worth the trouble it causes."

"Yes," Gwaine's dark eyes were serious and resolute. "You are worth it."

Gwen laid her uninjured hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. "We know you would never – and have never – harmed anyone in Camelot. And especially you've never done Arthur harm. You'll see. This will turn out all right."

Merlin wanted to feel comforted by their continued support and friendship, he really did. He'd been surprised when the worst reaction he'd gotten out of his friends had been Elyan's studiously neutral expression when he woke up that first day. And Arthur had not done anything to impede his movements through the castle or to indicate he had any intention of treating Merlin like every other sorcerer ever caught within Camelot's borders.

He also hadn't had a real conversation with Merlin since that first morning.

Merlin was trying not to cringe away from everyone that came near him who wasn't Gaius with varying amounts of success. The attack yesterday and the successful curse Arwyroe and Drefan had cast had made Merlin jumpy. He could still feel his magic. It wasn't cut off from his reach or even curtailed in any way. The only thing stopping him from using his magic as he normally did was the knowledge of what it would do to Arthur. And to him.

It made his skin crawl and itch, knowing he had his magic as readily available as ever, and still be unable to use it to even heat up his wash water or mend the rip in the seam of his tunic. And to have Arthur standing in front of him, looking a mix of apologetic and resolute, was just the icing on the cake.

"I'm sorry-" he began, but Arthur raised a hand to silence him and Merlin shut his mouth without protest.

"No, I should be the one apologizing. I had suspicions about your magic ever since I woke up in Tristan's camp in those ridiculous clothes." A faint smile flirted with Arthur's mouth, but it faded under the weight of the disaster that faced them now. "I should have made more of an effort to determine if you really did have magic and how I would deal with it before all of this happened. I didn't, and we are unprepared." Arthur sighed, running a hand through his hair. "This is hardly the ideal situation, but I'm having you placed under guard until further notice. They have orders to escort you to the dungeons if you attempt to use your magic or threaten anyone within the castle."

Merlin nodded wordlessly. Gaius had told him that earlier, worried and uncertain. "I understand, Sire," he whispered in reply. A spark of frustration made him add. "But I won't use magic. I will not cause you pain when I can prevent it."

Arthur's hand on his shoulder startled him so much he jumped. Startled blue eyes looked up into steady blue. "I know," Arthur said. "I saw you resisting it in the throne room." The hand dropped away and Arthur's eyes shuttered slightly as he thought. "I can't say I'm completely comfortable with the idea of magic, but you and Gaius have my trust, Merlin." Arthur nodded firmly. "This doesn't change that. Just give me time to find a solution. You're relieved of your duties as my manservant for the time being, but Gaius still shouldn't be going about his usual rounds. So, you'll still be doing that, just with a guard in tow."

Merlin swallowed and looked down. "Yes, Sire," he said again. The loss of his duties as Arthur's servant stung nearly as much as the loss of the free use of his magic.

Arthur looked as if he wanted to say something more, but he kept it back and left the room shortly thereafter.

Nearly a week later, that solution still hadn't come and Merlin was still struggling to balance his duties as the temporary court physician with the newly realized suspicion he was nearly crushed under every time he left Gaius' chambers, the guard an ever present, suspicious presence at his back. More than one door had been slammed in his face, strident demands that he never dare approach them again ringing down the corridor and making Merlin flush with embarrassment and shame.

It hadn't been helped by the sudden release of various magical creatures and small but increasingly urgent spells that disrupted the normal rhythm of life in Camelot.

A spell that caused every bucket of water drawn up in the town wells to mysteriously lose all the water by the time they reached the top. One that made it so that the gates would only open every third hour of the day for five minutes, disrupting the regular flow of trade and commerce through the market. Another that had taken the voice of every person to eat a meat pie from a specific stall in the market. An enchantment so complex Gaius wasn't even sure how it had been cast that masked anything within two miles from Camelot's walls from the sight of the guards.

That one had caused the Council to swallow their knee-jerk reaction to sorcery and demand that Merlin fix it. His stumbling explanation that he couldn't, not without harming Arthur, hadn't gone over well with the lords or with Arthur.

"The rest of it is a nuisance at worst and an inconvenience at best, Merlin. This is a danger to the security of Camelot! If you can get rid of it-"

Merlin had lost his temper. "I don't know how, Arthur!" he yelled. "I'd have to research. I'd have to practice whatever spell counters this one. And you already know I can't use spells without putting you in enough pain that you collapse!"

Arthur's eyes had snapped with anger. "I can handle pain so long as my people are safe, Merlin."

"Can you handle it for long enough to let me get it right? Can you handle it for long enough for me to be sure it held and make sure it can't happen again? I won't do things by half-measures, Arthur! Getting rid of one spell won't keep Camelot safe, not so long as any sorcerer can come along and cast it again without me being able to do anything about it without incapacitating the king!"

Arthur hadn't had an argument against that and Merlin had nearly run back to the dubious safety of Gaius' chambers, hardly noticing the panting guard who was trying to keep up with him.

It had been a trying five days, and Merlin wasn't sure how much more he could take. He kept his eyes averted as he cleaned and dressed the scrapes and cuts on Gwen's arm and tied it neatly off with a bandage.

"It'll be sore for a day or so. I think Gaius still has some of that sunbride salve from the summer. I'll get some for you."

Merlin gave a weary smile to Gwen, and retreated to the shelves where Gaius stored his excess treatments and salves. He took a moment to just breathe, wishing that none of this had happened, that Gaius had been able to find a way to break the spell, that there was a way he could relieve the itch of his magic under his skin…

That there was somewhere he could be truly alone so he could react to all of the upheavals in his life properly, instead of keeping a tight lid on his emotions and reactions out of fear of setting one of the already hair-trigger tempers in the castle off and losing the tenuous peace that let him keep his freedom and his life.

A quiet step behind him, far too heavy for Gwen, alerted him to Gwaine's arrival behind him just a bare moment before the knight spoke. Merlin refused to turn and look at him, still sorting through the salve bottles listlessly.

"Merlin, mate," Gwaine started. "You know I don't care about the magic, yeah?"

Merlin nodded, as that had been abundantly clear from the way Gwaine had nearly gotten into a fist fight with Arthur over the standing guard order.

"Then what's with the doom and gloom? I know things aren't exactly perfect right now, but-"

A sudden pounding on the door interrupted them. Gwen rushed to open the door when her brother's voice came through it, hurried and harried sounding.

"Gwaine! Gwaine, I know you're in here! Open the door! Arthur needs us in the throne room!"

When Gwen opened the door, Elyan nearly fell through it, but caught himself in time. He braced himself in the doorway, brown eyes seeking out Gwaine and then latching on Merlin with a desperate kind of hope. "Drefan's back," he gasped out and Merlin stiffened. "He's attacking the Council and Arthur. They're pinned in the throne room. Merlin, can you-?"

Frustration bubbled up and popped in one pure burst of anger. Merlin could feel his spine straighten and his eyes harden. Enough was enough. They were being played with and it was time for it to stop.

"I'll find someway to help," he promised, and followed Gwaine and Elyan out the door.

His instinctive magic might be less focused than his spells were, but no one could concentrate when they were being thrown out of a window.

He could accept the pain as a reasonable trade for Arthur's life.

* * *

Arthur kept his head down as he checked Lord Aldred for a pulse, breathing a sigh of relief when he found one. If he'd lost his only real ally in the Council – only real ally until Gaius was better, anyway – for the restructuring of the laws on magic, he'd have gone insane. It'd surprised him when his father's old adviser had thrown his considerable influence behind Arthur in protecting Merlin and pushing for reform. The young monarch had yet to get a decent explanation from him either, and if Lord Aldred had died before giving it, Arthur would have had to strangle Drefan instead of simply running him through.

"What good is all your vaunted military prowess against the might of magic, Arthur Pendragon?!" the aforementioned sorcerer yelled from across the room. "Without your precious tag-along, you are nothing against magic!"

"I had no quarrel with you until you attacked my people!" Arthur answered again. "The Druids are welcome in my lands as long as they follow Camelot's laws-"

"Your laws would have them deny who they are! Would have them denounce centuries of traditions and rites of passage!"

Arthur was starting to see with startling clarity just what Merlin had been complaining about when he'd yelled about progress and damage during Drefan's initial attack nearly a week ago. He could see the more moderate Councilors he'd been sure he was getting through to reversing their opinions yet again.

Leon was once more attempting to sneak up on Drefan, though he kept having to dodge pieces of the smashed council table. Elyan had been gone for five minutes or so, seeking more help.

Arthur didn't dare hope that Merlin could do something, though he couldn't help thinking it.

"What do you want?" he yelled at Drefan. "This accomplishes nothing!"

"It accomplishes everything!"

The doors to the throne room smashed open dramatically, casually cutting through the barrier Arthur had seen Drefan put up after failing to keep Elyan in the room. Golden sparks tumbled through the air, familiar and dazzling.

Merlin, Arthur knew. Had he broken the spell? Was he able to access his magic again –

A chair went flying over the meager cover of part of the smashed council table and Arthur ducked back down.

"Stand down, Drefan! You aren't going to win this!"

Arthur froze. That was Merlin's voice! He had! He had finally –

"And what will you do about it? You can hardly stand after the effort of breaking through my shield."

Arthur's heart froze. He kept low to the ground and peered around the edge of his shelter. Sure enough, Merlin stood there, barely managing to stand on his own, pale and shaking. Gwaine hovered by his shoulder, sword drawn and his free hand uncertainly wavering near his friend's shoulder.

Merlin's blue eyes were blazing with determination though, and he kept his feet. "I don't need much to defeat you. You've done enough over the past few days. You've had your fun. It's over."

Drefan's face twisted again. "This isn't fun, Emrys," he spat. "I'd hoped you would see that by now, but apparently you need another demonstration."

Arthur's eyes widened as Drefan shouted something incomprehensible and a dagger went flying straight towards his face at the same time his feeble shelter was yanked away. In a horrible sense of déjà vu, Arthur found he couldn't move as a magically thrown dagger arrowed towards his heart.

Merlin shouted and suddenly he could move again, the dagger was lying harmlessly on the floor five feet from him and Merlin crumpled to his knees.

"Merlin!" he shouted, leaping to his feet. "Dammit, Merlin! Don't be an idiot. Use a spell!"

Merlin gasped, dead white but resolute. "I…won't," he ground out, "cause you…this kind of pain."

Arthur grasped the dagger that had been intended for his heart and sent it spinning at Drefan with deadly accuracy that didn't matter in the end because the sorcerer caught it with a negligent flick of his hand. "I can handle it, Merlin! Just finish this and we can sort out the consequences later!"

Drefan sent the dagger zooming back at Arthur, who threw himself flat to avoid it even as Merlin's eyes flared gold and stopped the dagger midair.

"Merlin! Listen to me for once, you idiot!" His manservant was wavering dangerously even on his knees, and Gwaine had taken up a defensive position in front of him even as Leon worked his way towards Arthur. "I am your king and I'm giving you an order. Use a spell and end this!"

Merlin gave him a pain-filled smirk. "Never been much good at…following orders…"

Drefan lost patience with their argument and made the confrontation much more sinister with a smirk and the beginning of a spell. "Well, if you two aren't going to pay attention to the lesson, maybe your future Queen will. I hear she's very good at listening." He started to turn, the air already swirling around him.

Arthur felt his heart constrict and Merlin's face drained of the miniscule amount of color it had retained through his repeated uses of instinctual magic.

"Merlin!"

"Stop!"

Golden sparks shattered the air between master and servant, and Drefan stopped his spin, gasping and grinning as he battled against Merlin's spell. Arthur saw all of this and smiled even as he crumpled from the pain in his skull.

It wasn't nearly as bad as he remembered. Odd. It even seemed to be fading as time went on, not getting stronger.

And Drefan was still grinning. A swirl of air coalesced by his side and Arwyroe appeared. Merlin gasped in shock and something snapped. Drefan sagged and Arwyroe caught him. They were both smiling.

"You have learned the lesson," Arwyroe said clearly and with relief. "The power to break the enchantment has always lain with the two of you and your bond. So long as your purposes were the same, and your bond did not break, this spell was never going to be permanent."

Drefan's smile became something of a smirk as he leaned on his friend. "I told you it was a lesson," he said to Merlin and swung his gaze to include Arthur. "You two had to learn to trust each other with anything and everything."

Arwyroe tightened his grip on his friend and nodded his head in farewell. "The enchantments on the people will be gone by the end of the day. We'll take our leave now."

Before Arthur could move, before Merlin could yell a spell to stop them, Arwyroe spun and in a swirl of air both sorcerers were gone. Arthur stared at the place they had been for a long moment before he laughed, long and loud.

* * *

Merlin winced as he finally made it to Arthur's chambers and closed the door behind him. He'd bruised his knees pretty badly when he'd fallen during the final confrontation with Drefan and his body still twinged randomly in phantom spurts of pain from his repeated use of his instinctive magic.

But the enchantments on Camelot and her people were gone. The Council had effectively had their arguments against Merlin cut out from under them and Arthur had delivered an ultimatum yesterday that still caused Merlin to giggle when he thought about it.

Arthur pulled Merlin to his feet with a wide grin on his face. "I knew you could do it," he said warmly and Merlin flushed. The grip on his hand never faltered as Arthur turned to face the stunned Council members, all of whom were now awake and staring in a mixture of awe and fear at their king and his manservant. "I would hope all of you have enough sense to realize the importance of that confrontation without me spelling it out for you. But since I know this is a difficult concept for you, I'll make it easier." Merlin felt himself tugged forward and gave in with only a slight yelp. "This man just saved all of you. He just deliberately took on an enemy of Camelot even knowing the pain it would cause him. He is no enemy of this kingdom."

Merlin felt as if he could fly solely from the warm feeling Arthur's declaration gave him. He watched in awe as Arthur stalked towards his Council, dragging Merlin after him even after he'd dropped his hand. Merlin would never need to be told to follow this man, his king. He would gladly do so for the rest of his life.

"All of you are going to stay here. You will come up with viable suggestions for new laws about the regulation of magic. And none of you are leaving until you have done so. I will have new chairs and a table brought and your meals will be delivered. I expect a preliminary plan by the morning, gentlemen."

Despite the pain in his muscles, Merlin giggled, only just managing to place his tray on the table in Arthur's chambers before he dropped it.

"Thinking about me telling off the Council, again, Merlin?"

Arthur's voice didn't cause him to jump as it might have just two days ago. Instead, Merlin turned and grinned at his king. "Yes. It was brilliant." A yawn caught him by surprise and he clapped a hand over his mouth in shock.

Arthur grinned and stepped forward to tug Merlin towards the giant bed. "I didn't think you'd been sleeping. Go on. Take a nap."

Merlin stalled, trying to dig his heels in and not doing much of anything to deter Arthur's greater, determined strength. "But…I can't! That's your bed, Arthur! And it's hardly lunch time! It's too early to sleep-"

"But you haven't been doing it even when you should, and that's partly my fault." Arthur caught his arms and pulled him around to face him. "Look, Merlin. I know you don't want to make a big deal out of it, but having a guard follow you everywhere for almost a week was a compromise I shouldn't have made with the Council. Not when I knew you weren't a danger to Camelot."

Merlin looked away, the hurt coming again, but it wasn't nearly as strong as it had been even last week. "It was something you had to do, Arthur. I understand."

"I know you do, and it's part of the problem. You should be able to trust that you have a sanctuary in your rooms, but you couldn't last week. That was my fault." Arthur shoved him back towards the bed, taking Merlin by surprise and getting him at least three feet closer to the tempting bed. "Just go, Merlin. I'll wake you in time for you to get me some supper and you can resume the rest of your duties tomorrow. After a good night's sleep, in you own bed."

Merlin locked gazes with Arthur and felt comforted and reassured that his destiny had finally come about. Arthur knew about his magic, and he didn't care. He knew about Emrys, and he still didn't care.

He was Arthur, and Merlin was Merlin. That was the way it would always be, and Merlin didn't want it any other way.

He let himself be shoved onto the bed and laughed. "Alright, alright, Arthur!" he capitulated. "I'll sleep, quite being such a prat about it."

"I will when you actually sleep," Arthur rolled his eyes. "You're supposed to be the one taking care of me, Merlin. Not the other way around. So sleep and we can get back to normal even quicker."

We're already there, Merlin thought, but he was already drifting off to sleep.


End file.
